Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Sunburn fire ant hell itch

So, you stupidly forgot the sunscreen. Again. And now you're burnt, excellent.

As if getting about painfully looking like a crustacean wasn't bad enough, if you're like me, you also live in fear of SUNBURN FIRE ANT HELL ITCH.

This itch is unlike ANYTHING ELSE. It makes me want to rip my skin off using rusty razors, to put it lightly. At first I thought I was going crazy, I've been burnt before and never experienced anything like it til I was in my 20's. My mum just says I'm dramatizing for attention (thanks mum!) and no one I know has experienced it.

But thanks to the wonders of the online world, and the human race's desire to share personal information, I quickly discovered I wasn't alone, that others had or were experiencing the sheer torture of a deep, intense and all consuming itch which cannot be satisfied after being sunburnt.

For those out there who have never experienced this sensation, count your blessings. It is truly a horrific itch. Cooling the burn, moisturing it and all general sunburn remedies just seem to aggravate it even more. It's a deep itch, which hits in intense bursts and it literally feels like you have fire ants crawling under your skin & itching only seems to piss them off further. It sends the sufferer into a demonic state of helplessness as they struggle to cope with the itch which prevails through all numbing, cooling and moisturizing remedies.

I remember one instance in particular which was so bad I almost called an ambulance. This is how bad it can be. I was home alone and going out of mind, crying, rolling around on my bed screaming for relief. Constantly rubbing ice on my burns, applying aloe non stop, numbing agents, stone cold showers, anything to stop the burn. I started slapping the burn, because the painful sting was better than the itch. After 2 or so hours of this frantic and crazy behavior I started thinking, "this is NOT normal, something is seriously wrong. I've either lost my mind or I am having a severe allergic reaction to something". It got SO bad at one point I was contemplating scratching my skin with sharp items, because anything else had to be better than this hell itch. I called my partner and he said to hold out for another hour, if it was still as bad as it was now, that he would leave work and take me to the hospital. Dramatic I know, but I was inconsolable and NOTHING was working. I felt like the only relief would be to knock me out. With that in mind I started contemplating taking strong pain killers and drinking myself to sleep with tequila. I'd been googling all night trying to find a cure and was at my wits end. If there was a cure that required you to rip off your toenails with a a rusty chisel and then eat them, I would have done it in a heart beat. I was about to give up and call my partner back when I found a strange suggestion THAT WORKED.

I know it sounds weird, but a BOILING HOT SHOWER was the only thing that worked! At first I was terrified it would make it worse, especially since I'd spent hours trying to take the heat out of my skin which so many sunburn treatments are designed to do. But I was past desperate. HELLO? I was contemplating drugging myself and going to hospital.

I VERY hesitantly got in the shower and turned up the heat. The suggestion said to have the shower as hot as you can possibly stand. At first it hurt, but usually by the time sunburn starts to itch, the skin is already healed and hot water won't cause any further damage. I stood there, tears streaming down my face as I turned up the heat. Within moments, the itch stopped. I turned up the hot water as high as I could stand, and stayed in there for at least 15 minutes.

I very gently patted myself dry with a towel, doing everything I could to avoid further aggravation. THE ITCH HAD GONE. I quickly took 2 strong pain killers and went to bed straight away, hoping I'd fall asleep before the itch had a chance to return.

I woke the next morning with a worrying tingle that singled fire ant hell itch was returning. I ran to the bathroom and had another hot shower. Again, it worked. For hours. I had hot showers every 4 or so hours for about a day & by then, I'd begun to peel & the itch returned to 'normal' sunburn itch.

This bazaar remedy is the only thing that helped. Years later I stupidly got burnt again quite badly. Boiling hot shower again. Fire ant hell itch stopped in its tracks again.

Since this torturous night, I've been burnt maybe twice since over the last 3 years. So stupid! But I'm currently 2 days out from the latest bout of sunburn and the itch is currently at bay, thanks to boiling hot shower this morning. But it's definitely there, when I scratch it aggravates it and I run into the shower faster than speedy Gonzalez. But ANOTHER STRANGE REMEDY I discovered today is to blast the itchy skin with the hair dryer.

APPLYING HEAT IS THE KEY.

I hope this helps someone who finds themselves in the state I was in years ago. A boiling hot shower, as hot as you can stand for as long as you can stand. Gentle pat dry & if you can't keep running to the shower, apply heat some other way, hair dryer, mug full of fresh tea against your clothes over itchy skin, however you do it, I find heat is the key to relieving the dreaded fire ant hell itch brought on by sunburn.

Yours in poor UV protection,
Kat xx

UPDATE: 4 June 2015 - THE PLOT THICKENS! - Heat is the cure here, but now in the colder seasons - it is the CULPRIT to another weird itch! Reckon you can help me figure out what the heck it is or experienced something similar? Check out Hot Itchy Feet Tops - huh?

My son has been tortured for the past 24 hrs. Tried tea tree oil an hour ago. Itch stopped right away and is staying away. Idk what's worse, being tortured or watching helplessly as your young son is being tortured???? We had tried aloe, hydrocortisone, benadryl,moisturizers, baths, to no avail. So glad I tried the tea tree oil!!!! Hope this helps someone!!!

I found that peppermint and lavender oils work! They reduce the itch to tolerable and the peppermint oil opens up the pores and creates a cooling sensation. I have had this problem many times and these seem to work the best.

Only thing I found that will work is using a lotion containing lots of glycerin. If you can't find anything to work, try using some glycerin lotion and apply it on the itching areas. Should do the trick.

Hi! I like your blog. I've recently had this issue and wrote up the following. Hopefully it will help others who stumble here:

Ok people, let’s get a couple things straight because there are two symptoms being confused and muddled together. Here is what we know:

1) Regular sunburn itch and skin reactions. This consists of burning, peeling, and uncomfortable itching. And yes, it can be severe and painful BUT it is manageable. Topical solutions and home remedies usually help the situation. The more severe the sunburn, the more severe the symptoms.

2) Insanity itch/ demon itch/ hells itch/ fire itch/ suicide itch/ fire ants are eating my skin itch. How do you know the difference? Well, you sure as heckfire will know if you have it! It is unbearable and nothing seems to help, and in fact, topicals seem to make it worse. This can occur with only mild sunburn, and appears to start ~ 2 days after the sunburn. Some of the best descriptions I've read so far:"... someone kill me please..."" The itching was so bad that I almost snapped. I tried to have my wife knock me out with a 2 x 4""At its onset i was shaking uncontrollably, i was actually brought to my knees...i was screaming... i turned to pacing up and down my room, i lost count how many times, it was the only thing that gave me even a slight relief...its somewhere between an itch and thousands of constant insect bites that never end...“at certain points i just wanted to knock myself out because i couldn't bare the agony any longer, i'm not ashamed to say that, i was almost reduced to tears.""...this is the worst pain I have ever went through. I now know what it would be like to be buried in an ant hill.""this should be used as a form of torture for those who commit heinious crimes""All I could do is pace back and forth and ramble on about how I just wanted to die!""At one point, it was so bad that I started punching myself in the face to get my mind off of it.""the itch is intolerable and evil. It's the only thing that will bring me to considering jumping out of my 2nd story window, but then I worry that I'll have two broken legs and the itch will remain!""It brought me to my knees. I was itching uncontrollably all over my back, screaming and crying hysterically. ""I want my mom...tequilla..and Codeine.""it felt like a brush fire spreading across my back and I began to go mental... as if I was possessed by a demon (an itchy demon). ““This itch is unlike ANYTHING ELSE. It makes me want to rip my skin off using rusty razors, to put it lightly…It sends the sufferer into a demonic state of helplessness as they struggle to cope with the itch which prevails through all numbing, cooling and moisturizing remedies.”

Sooo you get the point. You will know the difference.

Treatment: The insanity itch is an ALLERGIC REACTION and should be treated as such. Therefore TAKE ANTIHISTAMINES like Benadryl , Allegra, etc. Debate lingers on about the other treatments (topicals, hot/cold showers, natural oils, etc), so I won’t add my two cents here. But sunburn is sunburn and treatment for #1 above should also be administered to help the skin heal as tolerable.

How long does it last? Good question… as peoples experience appear to range from 1 day to 2 weeks. I was surprised to find a lack of credible medical and scientific information out there on this.

I will add one further point from my situation. I was getting sick while my sunburn and insanity itch occurred. Therefore I wonder whether my depressed immune system had something to do with it, since this was the first time I’ve experienced the insanity itch.

I have experienced insane hell ant fire itch both whilst unwell with the common cold & in perfect health - both suck in equal measure, I think the exhaustion of being unwell just makes it that much more unpleasant.

ive had this too mine felt like someone was rubbing fiberglass across my whole chest and arm and then stabbing them with needles then spraying lemon juice all over it...i went to the doctor and sat in the waiting room forever and i finally saw a doctor and all i got was calamine lotion which actually helped as long as i didnt touch it. this feeling was horrible and i hope i never get burnt again

2 weeks would have been paradise. Mine lasted for 5, and after about 2 or so even the cold towels I put on my back so I could get about 2 hours of sleep at a time stopped working. I finally told my Dr. He had to do something to help me, begging. This was after a clinic Dr. saw me and her treatment didn't work. I was sleep deprived with plenty of the effects of that and had tried almost anything, too scared to try hot anything in case it mite aggravate it. Finally my doc got me onto a high enough dose of Attarax (I can't take Benadryl due to drug interactions). He also had his pharmacist make up an old compound mixture cream made up of I don't care what. It was heaavenly when it finally left, nothing really worked more than a couple hours. I had a bumpy rash too, still a little left. People thought I was crazy too, until I found this blog, even then they weren't sure but at least I knew I wasn't alone. Way to ruin a summer.

I'm going on week two of UGHCK THIS FITCH. Indeed, it's been very hard to find clear medical info that speaks to it accurately.

I read a bit when SON OF A LUCIFITCH started, so I braced myself for another whole day or two... then another... then another then... ugh.

In case someone else is like me, it took a full week after the burn for my skin to start itching. Now I'm heading into night 8 of itch-spastic horror, of wishing to remove my dermis and scrub it on a massive pumice. Or throw it away. I'm way less than thrilled to know I will itch who-knows-how-much-longer, but I'm relieved to know I'm not alone. So,thanks? I'll brace for 5 weeks. Or, I'll jam kerosene-soaked bamboo directly into my nasal passage and light the ends, just to change things up. I'd rather know the whole beast than wait each day thinking it'll get better. This will decrease the likelihood that I swan dive into the barren rock quarry nearby. Know those prayer lashes people use on pilgramages until their backs are bloody? Anyone have one I can borrow for the next 5 weeks? I'll look on Etsy. Is Esty a thing anymore?

Anyone consider that at some point, we each just f***ed with the wrong person? Or this is our comeuppance for some personal failure? I mean, I've been more kind for more of my life, but there was this one girl in the 6the grade I could have treated better... Same year I had a cheat sheet for a math test on an itty-bitty piece of paper. I felt *no guilt* for not knowing the math. But, I was so terrified of being caught that I literally ate the sheet when I was done. I popped it in my mouth and took it down with a shakey squeeze of Caprisun, a bite of bologna, and a few Cheetohs.

Got a sunburn the other day and the hell itch started this morning. It was mild at first so I didn't think much of it, but before I realized it was the early stages of hell itch I applied aloe and soon pissed off the demons living under my skin. I was starting to go crazy when I decided to look up remedies for this nightmare unfolding before my eyes. One thing I noticed several people mention was peppermint oil. I had nothing to lose at this point so I figured what the hell, it can't get much worse. It wasn't easy to find (walgreens, cvs, wal-mart and local grocery store didn't carry it,) but I finally found it at GNC. I have to say this stuff is a miracle in a bottle, and the best $6 I ever spent. This is going in the opposite direction of the hot shower remedy though. It opens up the pores and makes your skin ice cold. My lobster skin turned to a light pink and the itching went away. So if this happens to you again, I'd say give it a shot.

This totally works for me. I experienced it for the first time last summer. I thought i was from shaving my legs with a sunburn, but it was the most unpleasant no sign of relief feeling. I usually adhere to the hot shower taking sunburn sting out but this was far worse and different. Scoured the internet and found that peppermint oil remedy and it does it in fact work. You just smell like Christmas for awhile!

Its 4:53AM and the hell fire itch has awoken me. I've been restless for hours, even as I type this lightning itch is devouring my back. Its always my back for some reason. This happened last year same thing. I'm thankful for this blog.

currently the ants are digging into me.. luckily they waited till I was home from work however at work they did start to show their teeth and it hurt now I'm using burn spray(numbing agent) then solorcain aloe and the ants are weak but still present... I.Just. Want. To. Sleep.

Its me again! I discovered the best combo ever! I did the super hot shower and the peppermint oil. I sleep all night. Amazing. The peppermint oil came in a really small bottle for 6.99 its pure peppermint and I diluted it a little. Mint Vs. Fire....Mint Wins! And the hot shower opens the pores up so they make a great team. This is the third year this happened and nothing worked except this. God is good.

Apple cider vinegar helped me quite a bit. Some people say dilute with water but I just dumped some on a rag and started blotting my skin with it. The insane itching has stopped for now. Thank God!!!!!!!

Holly christ that was absolutely horrible. It's finally over! I couldn't even think when this was happening. The first thing I tried was the hot shower and it worked pretty well(while I was in it).

30 seconds after I was out and it was back and i'd be a crazy person again. If you need relief, then a shower or a heat/cold pack works good. The heatpack worked the best for me but lots of others here said cold pack. This is just temporary though.

Apparently this fire ant hell itch is the result of allergies. My dad has it too apparently. So he went and got me allergy medicine. clariten I believe, although im sure it does not matter. I took some and put my heatpack back on and then within like 30 minutes it was bearable without the heatpack but I kept it on anyways, no chances were being taken today. About 2 hours later I was 100% and then another hour after that I put on a shirt and its totally fine. I still feel the normal sunburn itch but it isn't even bothering me. Maybe it's really just not that bad or maybe it is because I have come back from the fire ant itch from hell :).

Good luck

"Too long didn't read, cause who the fuck would if you're itching"TLDR; Allergy Medication!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and Heatpack while waiting

Thank you for sharing this, I was current about to jump out the window alright cause I couldn't seep and I was grunting and trying to tough it out but I just could so while I was flipping out and trying to bare the insanity I search on Google and came across this and I couldn't believe others have actually had this pain. I all say I wouldn't wish this up on anyone, its a nightmare. the pain feels like very hot needles are starting to come out of our back, with fire ants just biting and sting you all over your back. I will say im just trying to get rid of mine and the hot shower works! OK well im dont ranting gonna get a hot shower now.

The worst feeling I have ever had. Do not use moisturizers, it just pisses Satan's Fire Ants off. Right now I am sitting here in a towel after getting out of a hot shower that temporarily cured the pain and itch. I can slightly feel the pain coming back, but yes the shower helps a lot. Does anyone have any idea how long this lasts?? I got my sunburn 3 days ago and it's still going strong :( 2 hours of sleep the past few nights.

Sorry I didn't see this earlier - I'm guessing you've well & truly recovered by now. Mine usually lasts anywhere between 1 to 3 days, depending on how delinquent I have been with sun protection. How long til your devil ants left you be?

I had this yesterday and after trying a numner of things, my mom told me to go outside and lay down. After about 2 minutes in the sunlight, the itch started to go away and was kept away for about 7-8 hours until i stupidly took a cold shower. Next time, il try a hot shower to see if that works too.

I've experience the Hell Itch since as far back as I was about 14 years old, I'm 28 now. The first time it happened, it was literally the worst thing I've ever experienced, and I've broken my elbow, wrist, ankle, and countless digits. I can only guess that it is some kind of an allergy, and today was the first day I've used the Peppermint Oil treatment, it seems to be the best solution. The key is opening up your pours. The peppermint oil is very cool and does just that. I will never go without having this $10 bottle in my medicine cabinet at all times. Or, perhaps maybe I shouldn't be such an idiot when it comes to sunscreen.

I think im dying!! This itch is driving me beyond crazy. This is my second sleepless night in a row. I am 15 and stupidly fell asleep in the sun so all my chest and stomach is sunburnt. I have tried everything, and i mean everything from pain killers to sleeling pills,from hot showers to cold. From alovera plant and gels, to after suns to oat meal baths and showers, vinigar, milk, tomartoe, apracots and cucumbers also pepermint. This stupid itch wont go away!!! Ive even tried ice packs EVERYTHING. Im acty considering asking my brother to knock me out or to go borrow some of dads whisky collection for the evening. I feel sorry for anyone having to suffer this, im so close to tears its unreal. Anyother weird solutions that might work please ? I beg of you.

So sorry to hear you had such a bad time of it Kelly :( I am usually fine after the hot shower but some of the earlier comments suggest having a hot shower & then applying peppermint oil works even better. In my experience using moisturising agents (aloe, milk etc) just seemed to make it worse. I found combining them even worse. You poor treasure, I hope you felt better soon after posting this xx

I had never even heard of this particular kind of sunburn hell before, and I'm a pasty white girl who gets burned nearly every time I go to the beach. (Which is only about once per summmer, but you know.) I've even been burnt worse before, and it never came down to the Fire Ant Hell Itching. The only thing that relieved it for me was when my fiance would rub my shoulders with lotion. It hurt my sunburn, but it calmed the itching a bit. I paced around the house like a crack head. My fiance rubbed my shoulders for about an hour, but he had to go to sleep, so this is what helped me:

Swaddle yourself where it itches.

We put anti-sunburn itch lotion on my shoulders, where the itch was, then wrapped them up with hand towels. To keep a constant pressure on them, we duct taped them to my arms. You could try wrapping them in gauze, as well. It stays on better and it's easier to get the right amount of pressure. We did that for half of my arm, but ran out and used what we had to use to finish the job. It helped SOOOOO much, and within five hours, I could take off the swaddle and sleep like a real person.

Peppermint oil sounds like it would be the best choice, but we didn't have any in the house and our pharmacies were out of it (apparently people buy it to kill mice or something) so we did what we had to.

Just be careful to not cut off circulation! I'd only do this if you're desperate, which I was. It hurts to have constant pressure against your burns, but it's much better than the Fire Ant Hell Itch.

I was going through this and it started yesterday at 2am and it was the most miserable thing I have ever endured, tried everything, lidocaine, oral steroids given to me by the doctor, numbing spray and none of it worked for more than 20-30 minutes of slight releif. Benadryl worked best. And of course I didn't find this until today around 2am again, tried the hot shower and it worked great... For about an hour or two. Then I tried taking a scalding bath. Fell asleep in it for about two hours and havent had any itch since! So about 7 hours. Not bad but I'm feeling great at the moment and have only had minor regular sunburn itch since! Hope this helps someone with the terrible pain of Hells itch.

Peppermint Oil! I tried everything but the hot shower, which sounds painful but effective. I stopped at GNC and picked up peppermint oil. I was not having an episode when I put it on, but it immediately stopped the few nerve bites I was having. I am hoping not to have to put it to the real test, but I'm glad I have it if it comes to it.

I have to say that last night I was a crazy, irrational person. Thanks to this blog I discovered the value of hot showers and peppermint oil in that order. All day regimen of the two along with a Benadryl and a subsequent nap and loads of water. I'm happy to say I might actually sleep tonight and the crazy person is gone. Peace,Eric

Thank you so much. I have had this twice in my life. Once when I was 13 and again at 26. Nothing but deal with it the first two times. With a sunburn heat was the last thing I would think to cure any part of it but as I sit and type this I am beating back Satan's Itch with a heat pad and feel so much better. So round three is a win and hopefully the last round. Sunscreen and I are gonna get well acquainted.

This article saved my life. This itch made for the worst 13 hours of my whole life. The hot shower saved me - after 2 it barely itched at all. It seems so counter-intuitive to heat sunburn, but it works like you wouldn't believe. One thing is for sure, I am never going swimming outside in hot sun without my Factor Ginger suncream!

I just tried hot blow dryer blowing it into a couple of robes I'm wearing to keep in the heat, I got relief and now feel a calm coming back to my body and also my mind, Thank God. It was like every nerve was being stuck with a pin randomly all over my body. I'm now going to lay down on a heat pad and try and get some sleep.p.s. I tried: 1500 mg of Advil no help. Aloe coolzone no help Skin lotions after hot shower a little help Benidril 25 mg some help Lunesta 3 mg slept 3 hrs

I do agree that heat does keep the ants from hell at bay.God bless.AJR

My god. The power of the internet is good. It loves us and keeps us. I pledge my undying love to the internet and honor it every day.

THANK YOU for posting this and using whatever words and phrases I searched for.

I've suffered this twice before and again today. It is the absolute worst. NO ONE who hasn't experienced it can begin to understand. It isn't just the fire ants marching under your skin, its not only the fiberglass being drug across you, its not exclusively the lemon juice squirted into a paper cut. It is that it becomes almost instantly mental. It drives you insane with panic, crazy while under assault from unseen assailants, the discomfort drives you to madness, slapping yourself, pacing, willing to do anything at any time for even a modicum of relief. Then, you make the mistake of trying aloe or lidocaine or cold compresses, and it angers the prickly fire just beneath your skin and it surges forth the fury of ten thousand suns which drives you further into madness and desperation.

I liken it to the reaction of a heroin and crack addict being doused with mustard gas. I was inconsolable, raving, jumping, jerking, running myself into walls, screaming. I was not sane. My eyes were alternately wide and crazed, then closed tight as I waited for the surge of pain to pass. I was crying and rocking, pacing angrily across the house, looking at items in my fridge, milk, creamy dressings, slices of cheese, pudding, hoping and calculating if they would possibly sooth the thousands of scorpion stings across my shoulders and chest.

Thank you for this post. While it doesn't calm the lightning firestrikes of sharpened jacks rolling under my skin, it does ease my mind to know that I am truly not alone, not crazy, and not descending into an opium-like madness from which I'll never recover. There are other people who have felt this way, who feel this way, you have lived through, and emerged fromt he otherside, newly dedicated to applying sunscreen, wearing swimming shirts, staying the fuck indoors.

My day of calm hasn't yet arrived. I'm still constantly walking through the briar patch, grapefruit rain falling into every new wound. My nerves and in turn my brain, is screaming. Demanding I roll around in the sand, commanding me to use the metal garden rake across my chest, trying to convince me that the razor blade paint scraper is my only solution. But I am strong.

I am distracting myself by talking, reading, walking... I am drugged up, with twice the normal dose of antihistamines, anti-inflammatories, and an anti-anxiety pill.

Nothing is working, except to keep me from walking in front of a bus. Its had almost come to that. A final release from the pain.

But I am strong, and I have others out there. Who unknowingly, silently support me, who know my struggle. Who know I've not gone crazy.

I just wish they could completely convince me. Because I've got a tub of greek yogurt and a spatula in my hand, and I'm not afraid to use it.

hell is over, at least for me. I had the pleasure of having ants crawl under my skin for at least 8 times. every summer i stupidly take my fiance tanning lotion, instead of the regular sunblock, which is always in the same kind of bottles. 2 days ago me and my buddy went to the beach and enjoyed relatively sun-less morning. at around 1-30 2 pm we decided to go back, and upon our arrival i was fried, with near purple skin. My wife covered me with sour milk, and after applied Aloe Vera ( which usually helps ) 3 caps of Benadryl, a bottle of beer and a shot of tequila had knocked me out for the rest of the day. when i woke up i felt burned, but not really itchy, took a shower dropped 2 more pills, and went to sleep. Next day was fine, except the fact that my skin felt like i went through intensive botax therapy, all smooth and shiny. Shit hit the fan today in the morning, when i got to my job, and felt "itch synapses" from time to time. At around 8:15 i could not take it anymore: i was shaking and mumbling, itching myself, which made my boss think that the drug test i took few week before was falsified and I have the crazy drug problem. When i got onto a train the itch went into a full fledged "fire ants from hell" mode. regular junkies on the train were nothing comparing to me, i was going through the roughest withdrawal in their eyes. when i got home i immediately turned my computer and started searching for any solution that can help. Hot showers helped but in 10 minutes i was back spraying myself with the hot water and mumbling some nonsense. It took me 2 hours to find the GNC that had the peppermint oil. I paid for it ran outside and in the back alley poured it on my hands and started to rubbing it on my skin. PEPPERMINT OIL o PEPPERMINT OIL, i will always have you with me, im ice brick cold, and it hurts at some places, but I dont have these fucking fire hell ants under my skin anymore. this feels relaxing, no pills nor traditional healing methods were able to help me with such precision and easiness, i love it.

THANKS TO THIS BLOG I NOW KNOW WHAT IS PEPPERMINT OIL AND HOW TO USE IT.

I'm a 32 year old male with a high tolerance for pain. I skateboard and have broken both my wrists , have been hit by a car and broken collar bone, dislocated knee and fractured ankle, had my appendix burst and waited till morning to go to the hospital. None of those made me cry. This terrible sun burn itch made me cry like a psycho at a Britney Spears concert. This is way worse than anything I've ever experienced. I was just in the shower, literally crying and going mad. My sister made me a warm oatmeal bath (Aveeno) I think it saved my life. My next step I think was really just smashing my head into a wall in hopes of knocking myself out. I'm going to try peppermint oil next. Thanks for the tips and if you're on this blog I pray for your sanity.

You guys are amazing for sharing your stories - I definitely have a few extra tips for next time (assuming I am ever stupid enough to get burnt again). I'm so glad my tips have helped some of you out - I know that desperation & torture all too well so to hear that this blog has helped you guys out when you needed it means a lot :)

Omg I'm in agony but grateful (if that's the right phrase ) that others are experiencing this mother of all itches. Two weeks in and It hurts that much I've had my work colleagues rubbing oil into my skin which surely breaks so many hr rules lol. I'm not sleeping and I can't concentrate on work so I'm going to try hot showers and peppermint oil this sound the way to go. Thank you for the tips

The first time it happened to me was in the early 90's. Apparently my flannel came off and I got a decent burn on my shoulders and back while in college in Florida. I went to the ER after about 8 hours of pure torture that, until I read this blog, had thought only I had experienced. The doc thought I was I on something, and kept asking me when and how much of what street drug I had taken. Just Benadryl, a**hole!The second time was not a year later, and I was told milk might help. All it did was sour my bed as my girlfriend put washcloths soaked in milk on my back. I went batshit insane. I remember it so clearly, like a torture victim would. I put my fist through the wall, and eventually just got stinking drunk so I'd pass out and not feel it, hoping it'd be gone when I awoke the next day. I was good for the next 15-20 years, until a week or so ago. While applying sunscreen, I missed two spots on my back the size of my hand. Two spots the size and shape of a damn coaster! It was like two open jars full of fire ants on steroids were balanced on my back, with the open mouth of the jar on my skin. I can say it only lasted a few hours and the intensity wasn't there...but now I have some weird bumply rash. It was itchy at first, but now makes my muscles beneath it sore. I think the rash is unreleated to the roid ants, but I have to wonder. I'm truly grateful to know I didn't slipped a mickey with some crazy drug in college a few times, and that my memory is accurate, because until reading this post today, sometimes I think it couldn't have happened the way I remember it did. And my kids wonder why daddy always wears a shirt at the pool...

I've had this 3 times now and each was at least 5 years apart, I'm 24 now and got burned this past weekend on the first day of my bachelor party before I get married in less than two weeks, I had tried everything before and always just had to deal with it but now with technology I can research and found out its an allergic reaction to too much sun, I find that taking a lot of allergy medicine while taking hot(very hot) baths helps me tremendously but a piece of advice is to save your last dose of medicine before you go to bed and make sure its a nighttime medicine and you can sleep through the night. hope this helps the next poor soul that has to deal with this!!!

I know this horrid itch well. Calamity lotion was the only thing that would put a dent in it, plus mass quantities of oral antihistamine. Thanks for sharing your solution! Last time I was away from home and had no calamine handy. I was going out of my mind!

haha you just saved my life. I have been trying aloe and random anti-itch solutions to no avail, and am no where near a place that may provide this fabled peppermint oil, but the hot shower FINALLY stopped the madness. Thanks

A hair dyer is the only other thing that works. I was in the shower for 12 hours, standing. My nose is so water logged I Behan sneezing uncontrollably. At least a hair dryer let's you sit down somewhere.

I had this exact same thing and I wasn't even really burnt I just had a tan. I was home alone and I kept calling my parents up telling them i needed to go to the ER and they called me over dramatic.My mom ended up taking me to OSU medical center and got us into the doctors and they gave me really powerful anti-itch medicine and a really powerful spray. Finally sweet relief, I never want to deal with that again.

I recently went to a routine appointment with my dermatologist and shared the awful experience of the burning itch this summer. She said immediately and without hesitation that I should have gone in there. Although I saw a doctor at a clinic, and my family doctor, for some reason none of us thought of the dermatology clinic at the hospital. I hope this might help someone and minimize the duration of suffering.

Causes Sunburn :-The sun isn't just a ball of fire, it's a star made up of various gases, some of which produce UVA and UVB rays, the rays that cause your skin to burn. You will not get a sunburn from sitting in front of a bonfire for a few hours, although your skin may turn a little pink from the heat if you sit too close.

My brother recently visited for the christmas period and he gets outdoors more than me, hence has a tanned look whereas i was looking pretty pasty. He left earlier in the week and on friday when i was at home i decided to bathe in the sun in an attempt to replicate his look, (just for a little while, as i have been burned before in my childhood and know its not smart to bathe too long for safety reasons).

Of course i wanted to be a hero and do it without a small layer of sunscreen as i had ran out anyway and didnt think of just driving to the store 5 minutes away getting some. It wouldnt take as long if i went solo anyway! #genius! it was about 25 Degrees Celsius (77 fahrenheit i think??) outside at about 2pm. Having decided I'd spend half an hour on each side and see how that felt.

I began but about 20 minutes in a friend of mine came round to visit for an hour unexpectedly wanting to discuss something with me. So i got off my stomach sat on the grass and started talking my neck was already feeling hot so put my shirt on my neck and we kept talking. and talking... and talking -_- . Of course this completely distracted me from what was happening behind me i was facing away from the sun and so my back got the treatment.

As soon as my friend left i went back to what i was previously concentrating on, the suntanning. Immediately i felt my back was a little heated (i had been out for close to 2 hours) but it didnt feel too bad so i didnt panic because i checked and it wasnt completely red (somehow i had totally forgotten the burnt red complexion appears hours after it happens - though it had already happened so i'm not sure it wouldve helped realizing i could've made a mistake.) so I just lay on my back to tan my front.

By now though it wasn't as hot or in the 10-4 danger UV ray period so i lay out for about 45 minutes on my back to tan, thought it wasnt havent much effect anymore (It was still burning me) then went inside and typically got distracted.

2/3 hours later, i took off my light t-shirt as i was feeling hot and my flatmate said, "holy shit , forget the sunscreen today Josh?" at which point my heart dropped and what had happened in the afternoon slowly returned.

I started bathinggot distracted spent 2 hours with my back directly exposed to the sun in the hottest part of the day.

Memories came back from my childhood of sunburn pain and entire chest skin peeling off and oozing from the blisters but i wasnt too worried, just accepting the fact of having a week or so of uncomfortable nights' sleep.

Well I didnt get that much sleep on friday night or saturday night purely due to the discomfort of the sunburn. Just to make things worse a small little blister like thing appeared on my skin yesterday which didnt look like any brown sun spot id got in the past. That just got me paranoid the little suntan adventure had done serious damage to me. I picked at it awkwardly reaching at it on my back (because i am genuinely an idiot and couldnt leave it alone) and it bleed for a while, but i made sure i cleaned the area with plenty of water afterwards so i can hope that will be fine not infected, (now theres a small scab, idiot josh).

Anyway that was last night and i slept a few hours tonight and woke up this morning and as i'd the previous morning went to have a cold shower because i just wanted to cool down the burning skin i'd had pressed up against the mattress for hours.

After the cold shower i felt better went and logged on this laptop to just browse on a lazy sunday, sitting upright on the floor (not on the couch as that would press up against my sunburn)

2 seconds before disaster: (ok i know this is cheesy i'm even repeating myself like nat geo)

just sitting there and suddenly feel a tingling in my back. Initially i think "damn it, i've scrunched up the skin on my back and irritated it" so i just moved my back around a bit and the tingling grew, so i stopped leaning over and sat upright and now it was getting annoying and itchy. I took my shirt off and just pressed my cool hands against my back. (hands are usually cool due to inherited bad circulation) Took them off and within 3 seconds it was just as irritating and still itching. So i got both hands and pressed them all over my back and obviously the same thing, didnt help at all. By this point i am no longer concentrating on the NFL game i was watching and chatting about, purely fixitated on this, hence its now getting annoying enough to completely distract me. Took a deep breath and didnt touch my back at all and just figured it will get to a point of irritation, climax and i'll just ignore and it'll die down from me not aggrivating it.

I was so wrong.

I left it, 5 seconds later, im feeling it in one place, 10 seconds eight places, 15 seconds later everywhere, just 15 seconds (maybe even sooner after i've left it and told myself i'm going to ignore it, its getting unbearably itchy, i cannot concentrate on anything but, any moving doesnt make it better, not moving isnt helping either, gently pressing to distract it isnt helping.

What the fuck do i do!!! vexation building.

Put the shirt back on, maybe a light shirt on the itchy skin will distract the itching.

NOPE. Its just giving it MORE reason to itch.

Shirt back off. pressing against skin with hands to stop,

NOPE not stopping.

New tactic, run cold water down my back. ah relief...

NOPE stopped for about 1 SECOND !!! ITCHING ITCHING ITCHING. IT CANT STOP, IT WONT STOP (sorry bout that reference) What to do???

jumped in the shower to cool off. (hadnt googled remedies for this yet and wasnt aware of the hot shower) aah feels better, kinda, still can feel the itching but under the tap its not irritating anymore the water flow is distracting the itching feeling somewhat. finally. ok get out of the shower.

NOPE. ITS BACK.

ok gently dry my back maybe the water is irritating it.

NOPE worse.

ok ummm wtf now. aaah, WHAT ... THE... FUCK... this is beyond annoying, distracting, I cant do anything else its JUST SO IRRITATING, not painful just TORTUROUSLY irritating. f f f, i decided to hit myself on the back which is like the last thing youd want to do with sunburn; hitting myself, HURTING myself, purely to distract the itching it was getting so annoying, (i am losing sanity now, clearly).

By now i am yelling and grunting in sheer frustration and it has only been about 30 minutes since it started itching. When i walked back into the living room my flatmate asked if i was alright, initially i didnt reply because i really just wanted it to end and nothing else.

then i shouted "NOTHING IS FUCKING WORKING!" and went to my room in anger amidst bizarre motions of touching my back

I have never shouted at my flatmate before, i was so aggrivated beyond belief. This crap was possessing me.

While i was there i got more and more and more wound up and after hitting myself multiple times on my back it concluded with me actually kicking the wall... i accidentally did it so hard it made a fist sized hole in the bottom of the wall....................................... and the most disturbing part of all, the hole in the wall of the flat i always cared for so meticulously, i didnt even care about, only thing i wanted is for this to stop. I knew by now something wasnt right, this was fucked up scary.

I'm usually a calm person with a level temperament and control myself in stressful situations but this was different allllltogether. The pure fact that i could not literally stop something that was continuously eating my skin little termites on a wall (or so it felt like) just drove me isane, tortured... by my own skin.

At this point. i had no other resort but go to the chemist on my moped and ask what they could give me.

When i got there it didnt seem to be as bad at that moment thankfully or id look like i was insane but i just walked straight in and asked what they had, and the only thing they had was aloe vera lotion, she stated it was because my skin was dry and about to peel and it was for dry irritated skin.

I knew this wasnt anything special but as a typical guy i dont use mosturisers often and at this point i just wanted something, so i purchased it. (and some more SUNSCREEN... again i'm an idiot) then quickly went home.

Again when i got there, didnt seem to bad, but got my shirt off and started applying all over my back.

Of course this did not really help the itching at all, only the sunburn side of things. So i just gave up, rubbed the lotion on fully so it wouldnt go on my shirt and put my shirt back on, may as well, it doesnt feel quite as bad right now. Sat back down where it all started, still the tingling, which will no doubt get worse, then it hit me... Didnt feel so bad while i was driving the moped.... only one reason why that couldve been... the air flowing down my back.

So i got my shirt and starting flapping it as i was sitting there, (dont have a fan). Flatmate giving me worried looks not weird looks cause she genuinely didnt know what to do to help and i kept doing it for a minute, was actually feeling irritable while i was doing it (probably cause my shirt was gentlely flapping against my skin. Then came crunch time, i stopped.

Felt the warm tingling sensation again. but it didnt grow intensely. was still there but it was controllable... well i could contain myself to the point that i could ignore it and wouldnt bug me if i left it. And i just sat there reading things on my laptop and keeping myself occupied on my computer again without moving so i could be in peace.

That worked until i (in yet another bizarre episode of my irrational mind) decided to go for a jog about 10 minutes, and when i was done the sweat just irritated it again so wen through the aloe vera on skin which again isnt really helpful to the itch, and basically fanned my back (would've been nice if i had a classroom sized fan). This was enough to keep me in peace if i kept still.

Basically as the blogger pointed out, air pressure on it can aid the feeling somewhat. (not at all recommending this as a remedy because it doesnt remove the problem altogether just telling a story here.) No idea if this was a mixture of applying a mosturizer type lotion then the fanning, just the fanning or because i haven't got this crazy itch as severe as other people or what.

Its midnight here now 12:45am, I havent been sleeping well while having this sunburn so i will probably take a sleeping aid soon and type back how its going

Oh... i will probably try the hot shower, thanks for everyones comments by the way!

I would've never have realized heat on an overheated area would be the antidote. hope i can sleep because i hate overheating in bed, cant sleep if i'm too hot!

Suppose i'll reply to this to see how i'm coping!!!!!!!! If im managing to sit here without it bothering me i guess my allergic reaction isnt as bad as others may have got lucky.

Josh, don't stop with the pharmacy, try to see a dermatologist or intelligent g.p., or you will certainly go crazy. In the beginning ice cold towels, ie soaked in cold water and spread over your burn, helped me, but the danger is drying out your skin and ultimately making it worse. I was afraid to try the hot treatment so I am unable to comment on that. Finally in desperation I begged my gp for help (my itch lasted 5 weeks). He gave me a pretty good dose of a Benadryl alternative called Atarax in a pill, and a compound an old pharmacist had come up (nothing else in existence would help). I copy from the container : CAM.3%MENT.3%HC1%HYDROCORTISONE (ACET) I hope you get some relief, LouI don't remember how often I put this cream on but a good pharmacist or dermatologist could tell you, all I know is that until then nothing helped for more than an hour. I think this combination of medication and cream did, I think. As I posted earlier, my dermatologist said that I should have gone to see her for help.

i was about to call my GP, family friend, free visits, but it miraculously subsided. Ihave no idea why, people said this is an allergic reaction. Why it went away so fast for me i can only assume being the sunburn wasn't as severe (maybe my allergy wasnt as bad???). I feel for you if you had that shit for 5 weeks, that is just horrible and i take this short experience as a strong warning for future outdoor activities.!!!!!!

Its 1.27am and I have this - so bad it woke me up even after having taken Phenergen earlier in the night (which knocks me out and did let me sleep for 4hrs). My itching started about 5 weeks ago - 2 weeks after a bad sunburn on my shoulders. I have been burnt heaps of times but this is the first time I have ever had itching after I peeled. The itching is definitely worse at night but am getting the occasional bouts during the day too. Cool compresses and showers help but only temporarily. Like most others I have tried every cream and lotion in the house from stingoes to dermaid 1%. I even used pine tarsel for a few days whcih gave temporarily relief but thats all. I am going to get some peppermint oil in the morning and try the hot shower. I am not at the stage of wanting to jump out of windows but the sleep deprivation is awful and I am supposed to be back at work next week.

Ok so i didnt learn... well i did... but I forgot to apply sunscreen to some areas.... had been going outside frequently every day the past week it was sunny, (most days) and yesterday i missed a few areas... luckily not my back, some area on my thighs and hips... It was about 36 hours from last time that i got the itching. 24 hours in now we'll see. I feel like a guinea pig, (with the IQ of one too).

yup its back, as soon as i woke up i felt a slightly tingly on the burnt area with contact. Luckily i know how to approach this now. (if you dont have the peppermint oil)

If you SIMPLY DO NOT touch it at all, a loose shirt on it would be fine but do NOT have a shower, that will ignite the itch. It was pretty fine until i applied sunscreen. now i'm just fanning it with my t-shirt, then not touching it. AT ALL. (unless you are trying the hot shower to go to sleep).

If I do, fanning it again. seems to be the only way to get any relief. Bottom line though. the Itch will ONLY start if you provoke it.

I have been awake for 3 hours and despite feeling the beginning of the itch i hadnt touched it til i was going outside and put sunscreen on and it was fine until then. probably helps that its only a small area this time.

Weirdly though, my legs which also copped it, not itching at all. Dont know what the scientific reasoning is behind that.

Hopefully i wont have to clog up any more of this blog with my rambling!

I honestly don't know how to thank you enough for this article it legit saved my life. I've been getting this demon itch for a few years and only on my back for some reason. now, I'm Sicilian and I have olive skin. usually I don't burn at all I just get black. but this summer I got a LIGHT burn on my back, not thinking it would cause the demon itch to start. I woke up at 4am because the itch was so bad and it woke me out of my sleep. I had no idea what to do. finally I started googling about an extreme itch and I finally found this post. when I read it I finally felt like I wasn't alone anymore because EVERY person I told had no idea what I was talking about. as soon as I read about the hot shower I tried it and it worked but I had to be so careful drying off not to aggravate it. I also read that it's an allergic reaction and it has something to do with histamines..they say to take Benadryl which is an anti-histamine. and it actually WORKS. so anytime I got sun on my back I made sure to take Benadryl to stop the demon itch before it even has the chance to start up. now I know next summer when ever there's a possibility of the demon itch happening, I'll have Benadryl stocked up to make sure it can't happen, I don't care how tired it makes me because I'd rather be extremely drowsy then wanting to rip my skin off especially my back where I can't reach! also the part about people who don't experience it don't know how it feels is so true! I can't even explain it to people, all I say is it makes you cringe because it's so bad. thank you so much for this article!!

I also want to thank you so much for this post, as well as everyone else who commented, not only because of all the helpful information, but also for making me realize that im not alone and that this itch from hell has attacked more victims than I thought. Ive experienced this itch twice. The first time it happened I was not lucky enough to have found this post. I was at work when it started, and I think we all know that it is almost impossible to function properly when the effects kick in, let alone perform the duties of a job. I had to leave of course, but had a hard time explaining to my supervisor that I couldnt work just because of a sunburn. He didnt understand, just like many others who have never felt the wrath of this horrible itch. I dont remember what I did to treat it but luckily it only lasted a day. I now have it again and this time its worse. I am a 22 year old male and im not ashamed to say that this itch brought me to tears. Yes, the pain is worse than anything ive ever felt in my life, but what really broke me down was the feeling of hopelessness. The feeling that it wouldn't stop no matter what I did to treat it. For this reason I am grateful and extremely relieved to have found this article. I have found that hot showers are very helpful as well as antihistamines. I am also eager to try the peppermint oil that everyone is talking about, hopefully it helps. I do want to say that lotions and aloe with solarcaine are not helpful and will only make things worse, atleast for me. I cant wait until im over this phase and I can only pray that it never happens again.

I got the itch a fair few years back just on my upper arms and I thought it was bad. lasted a few hours. But it was nothing compared to my more recent experience... I got a good sun roasting over my entire back and sure enough about a day later at around 10am I started to feel it kick in and was in full force a few hours later. It did not let up at all for about 12 hours and nothing helped. Not; lotions, oils, baths, showers, ice packs etc. All I could do was lay as still as possible, face down on the bed, trying not to flinch every time it spiked. It was utterly exhausting. at about 12am the following day it started to subside fairly rapidly to the point where it was bearable enough that I would be able to be seen in public without being carted off to a mental asylum (which was good because I was going to be stuck on a plane for 5 hours).I was once stuck in a hospital bed in ICU for a week with broken legs, ribs and arm and a destroyed spleen and left kidney, unable to move a muscle and in constant pain just from breathing (motorcycle crash) - but the insanity itch was a thousand times worse. I would take nearly dead with every bone broken over the suicide itch any day.I doubt I will ever let it happen again. I never expose my skin to the sun anymore (other than lower arms and legs). But if it ever happens again I will be sure to straight away get on the anti-histamines and some good quality burn cream (the stuff you only get with a prescription) and if the itch arrives I'll try the boiling hot shower. Failing that (and I have often thought about this) I think I would try either getting very drunk or just finding someone who can give me a powerful sedative to make me sleep for a good 12-16 hours.

Hey, everyone, and thanks for the entertaining thoughts and all of the suggestions in this terrible time.

Cutting to the chase, I have found two things to be the most effective for me: antihistamines and distraction.

I took two ChlorTabs (generic Chlorpheniramine Maleate; I have never had any luck with Benadryl) a couple hours ago and fell asleep. Woke up, and, despite the occasional twinge of an itch, all is well 8 hours after the first dose. I'm taking the maximum allowed dosage in a 24 hour period, and all seems well.

O_O the demon itch. I had it for the first time yesterday as we checked out at a thrift store. I just like yelled Bye Family! and ran outside rubbing my back on shit like a crazy person. I accidentally half discovered the heat cure simply because my SO got in the hot tub when i jumped in the pool trying to save myself it subsided for a bit afterward. Thanks so much for this blog I showered on insane heat and hope it will subside. Good Luck Folks!.

I thought my boyfriend was going insane, until we found this blog. This is exactly what he had been trying to describe to me and I kept looking at him like he had 2 heads! The blow dryer did the trick so we can both sleep tonight. Thank you sooo much, glad to know he's not crazy!

I was scratching so hard I bleed. I was in tears over fear it would never go away. I went to a clinic and the DR gave me a steroid shot that help almost right away. The DR asked if I had any severe sunburns previously. I had a blisters when I was a teen. The DR said I could be allergic to sunburns. From now on I do my best to gradually get a suntan and use lots of sunscreen to prevent burns.

My teenage son had this itch and felt like he was crawing out of his skin. No cremes worked. Thank you for posting the remedy a trip to the natural food store with colloidal silver and pepermint oil saved the day.

Got burned exactry 48 hours ago. It was really painful. Started applying aloe immediately. Went in the shower for the first time in 2 days because the pain from the burn has eased. After I got out of the shower and applied the aloe , A SEVERE itch starting happening. I couldn't believe how psychotic of a feeling it was. I jumped back in the shower instantly and it helped. It wasn't a hot shower but it made it better for the time being. Laying down with the fan blowing on me now. Seems to help if I don't move. Lol......does anyone know how long it lasts?

I've been up now for 48 hours straight from this damn suicide hell itch! The hot shower only works while I'm in it. The peppermint oil just sets me on fire and all creams/jells/lotions just exacerbate the itch. Motrin and antihistamine dull it but it doesn't stay dull long. I'm just relieved to see I'm not alone in this struggle!!! Now if you will excuse me I'm going to stand in the hot shower again!

It Hurts sooooooo much like a thousand needles stabbing you in the back, I've tried all the sun after cooling lotions cold showers and sleeping on my front at my back it burnt, I've had a fan on it for last 2 days and the only thing I found to dampen the pain is some hospital grade co-comadol I had left over from when I broke my shoulder I think there 30mg/100g ratio helllllllp anything useful to help this pain, I'm to worried about talking a hot shower my wife said are you crazy, how long will this last

Haha your wife isn't the only one who thought this idea was crazy, but I find it the only way to get some relief. I find it lasts around 2 days - which is 2 days too long. Pop in that hot shower! It stings for a brief moment but the benefit far outweighs the sting. Promise x

OH MY GOD. Thank you so much for posting this. This has only been going on for a couple hours and no one believed me when I said this is the worst pain I have ever been through. I am a tough cookie when it comes to most injuries and stuff but dang this had me screaming in pain. I took 2 benadryl and took a hot shower and it helped me so much it is gone for right now. Thank you thank you thank you. Anyone who reads this TAKE THE HOT SHOWER. It hurts at first but then you never want to get out. Thank you again.

:) Finally someone has a head on their shoulders. Every since I was a child I've had an elevated white blood cell count. As a bazaar result, if my skin was ever disturbed (aka a slap, scratch, tickle, or hardened touch) it would cause the most unbearable itch imaginable. I never knew how to describe it to people until years later when I finally had the itch under control and then I got a sunburn fire ant hell itch. I looked up remedies and found that lots of people had suffered this same misery. Needless to say I was ecstatic that I finally had a way to describe to people the pain I grew up with. :) I feel for all of you in the deepest place of my heart. This blog post has the only remedy that instantly works for this type of itch. When I was young I used to put my back (or itch effected area) a few inches away from a fire place or a heater and literally burn the itches off. It was the only thing I found to work. This blog has the answer. Heat. :) Good on you!

Thanks for your kind comments Caleb :) Whilst reading through the comments on here we are obviously not alone in experiencing this hell on earth itch, but I have never known why it only seems to happen to so few people. I wonder if your elevated white blood cell count is the reason why everyone on here? Do you know any more about this?

It's possible. I have a rare version of Eczema (Atopic Dermatitis). Generally Eczema only effects limbs and smaller areas of the body, but due to my high white blood cell count it effected my whole body, with an emphasis on my back. That's about as much as I ever got from my pediatrician back in the day. Lol. It's definitely no fun. My skin would develop ugly looking rashes that itched with the same if not worse intensity as the fire ant hell itch. And it happened for like 10 years before it settled to only minor itching.

Also, I was prescribed antihistamines when I was younger. It wasn't an immediate fix but one it works it should keep you itch free until your skin peels. After that your dead skin will be gone and no more itch. :)

I have this "hell itch" twice. Once when I was about 12 and currently suffering from it now. When I was 12 I was brought to tears screaming and rolling around looking for any kind of relief. Everyone thought I was just being dramatic and the same goes for the itch im goingr through now. Even though I didn't cry or scream. This time I was working outside in the garage (I work on corvettes.) So I was sweaty and constantly hitting my back on the car rack which flared the itching. I somehow suffered and survived the work day. My sun burn was nothing to complain about. I even posted a Facebook status making fun of it. It's 2days later and it occurred when I woke up this morning. I have no way of getting peppermint oil but I did take a hot shower for about 30 minutes and it has become tolerable with only the occasional group of fire ants eating away at my back. I am overjoyed by the fact that this has not only happened to me and that other people share my pain (unlike anyone in my family). Besides a hot shower I find researching the itch itself and reading blogs (as I have read this one in its entirety) helps loads. So thank you so much and I am getting that peppermint oil for future use. Thanks so much:)

I had the exact same thing happen twice to me and a neighbor said try some anti allergy tablets ones that are similar to treating hay fever as they also treat skin allergies like skin rash, itching and hives, i tried a tablet and after about 30 minutes the sensation went, the second time it happened i just took more of these tablets and it went, you can get them from the pharmacy, whatever that horrible pain and itching was this was the most affective way to treat it, it worked wonders for me.

I am experiencing this hell right now for the first time ever. God bless the internet. My boyfriend thinks I'm exaggerating. The only relief I've found is a hot blow dryer across my back, but it's only temporary relief. I'm about to rig up a device that will hold the dryer on its own and just sit under it and cry until this torture subsides.

So I just came to a realization... I only get this when I'm staying at a house with pets! My mom's house has lotsa pets, but my dad's didn't until just last week! I wonder if this could have something to do with it?

I was out in the sun for 8 hours. I am really pale, I wore sunscreen protection, but I got a really nasty sunburn. It just happened, I guess staying in the sun for so long wasn't a good idea. I got the hell's itch many years ago when i was little. I cried and I had to go through alone. No one from my family ever experienced more than the regular sunburn itch. I guess my skin is really sensitive. I somehow knew that i am going to get the ICI. I just sensed it, researched a little bit and bought some peppermint oil. The day before yesterday or 48 hours after i got the sunburn (which I treated with several kinds of medication) started healing. I was out with my girlfriend when i felt an itch on my chest. I thought to myself "here it goes". Ten minutes after that I was scratching in desperate tries to make it stop. My girlfriend said, that I am overreacting and I should stop. I knew I couldn't. I called a taxi and sent her home. I ran to my house got inside quickly. My mom asked me what is wrong I said mom it's itching again, just like before. I got in to the shower. Took a lukewarm shower. I really didn't like the idea of taking a hot/scortching shower. The itching didn't stop. Somehow I managed to wait until the water had dried off my body. I went straight to my mom and asked her to put the peppermint oil. I felt nothing like from what Iwas supposed to feel. It just startled my itching worse. I started shouting,mumbling, crying, because that was the only solution I knew and it didn't help. My mom rushed to the pharmacy to ask for a medicine. I started walking around wondering why the stuff didn't work. After 10 minutes or so I felt a sudden relief. I could sit down without jumping at every bite. My mom come home with something that she got from the pharmacy - Gin Gin Alba. I've never heard of it and I don't know if it is sold anywhere besides Bulgaria(where I am from). The itching striked again after some time. We put peppermint oil and then sprayed over with the Gin Gin thing. It was like a blessing. I felt so cold and i could rest a little. After an hour the itching occured once again. I decided to take a hot shower this time. I screamed in the hot waters. I could only stand them for a few seconds. I took some rest then put myself under the water once more. I repeated the procedure with the peppermint and the Gin Gin. It has been almost 2 hours now and i start feeling the itches once again. I am writing this in order to distract myself from the itches. My peppermint came in a small bottle of 10 mg. I am saving my last 3 or 4 mg, before i put myself to sleep. I hope the itching is gone by tomorrow. I sincerely regret going out in the sun. I do not wish this even to my worst enemy. I just pray that I can have some sleep tonight and by some chance I won't be as miserable as I was today

Going through the itch now and ready to rip my skin off! Tried vinegar, black tea, aloe with lidocaine...nothing is working. Taking Benadryl and Ibuprofen with minimal relief. Will be trying the hot shower right before bed in hopes that I can catch a little sleep and then definitely getting peppermint oil in the morning!

I've had the sunburn itch for 6 weeks now after a short 5 day trip to tenerife, I only slightly burnt my right shoulder but both my shouldes have been driving me nuts for 6 weeks now, always at night occassionally during day. I have tried, antibacterial manuka honey, collodial silver ( topically ) Aloa vera gel, coconut oil, showers. nothing is working. No rash and it's driving me nuts. I end up soaking both shoulders with cold water on cotton csmetic pads and I eventully get some sleep. How long can the itch last ?

I just recovered from the itch. I got a nothing sunburnt a few days ago and 2 days later the itch started. I've had many worse burns before and I normally tan easily but this was new. like a thousands insects stings every seconds, you can't do anything but scream and slap your back like you've gone mad . no marks on my skin either, my wife tried everything she could think of but nothing helped. Then we noticed this cream for insect stings with hydrocortizone in it and it almost instantly reduced the pain to manageable level and after 30 mins it was gone. best feeling ever. I'm not going anywhere sunny without that stuff !

I thought I was the only one experiencing this, until I googled this and read all the comments. This is driving me crazy. I've been sunburned before, but never had this post itch, never even heard of it before. When it first started I thought I had bed bugs. Since the itch is worst at night, I actually got up and started searching my bed sheets and mattress, then realized the itching was only in the area of where I was burned the worst. So far the only thing that helps a little is Benadryl cream, I need to get the Benadryl pills. I will try hot water on the area, (mostly my upper arm and shoulder), and since I already have a small bottle of peppermint oil I'll give that a try. I wonder how long this last. I got burned on July 4th., the intense itching didn't start until about July 6th. and it is now Aug. 3rd. and it only seems to get worse. I can't sleep at night and I now have sores from all the scratching.

I just woke up from a few hours of sleep. It happened about a little over 48 hours after getting sunburned on my upper chest, shoulders, and most of my back. I had been applying aloe w/ lidocaine to help with the sunburn a few applications each day. I had just gone to shower to rinse off the aloe from earlier in the day and reapply when suddenly I had this huge wave of itchiness.

It was intense, I paced around for a good 20 minutes trying to resist the urge to scratch until I started to twitch and shake. I couldn't sit still. My SO thought I was weird for having this freak out and tried to help by putting aloe and then trying lotion which ONLY MADE IT WORSE. Even a cold towel after wiping the lotion and aloe off provided temporary relief before the itchiness got worse again. WebMD didn't have anything until I was able to find this blog and a few other pages about people having this like me.

I took an ibuprofen followed by claritin a little later, both DID NOT WORK, and after an hour of waiting and having drank about 4 bottle of water I was still twitching and burning with this itch. My SO was hesitant that I try the hot shower hair dryer heat method and we did not have peppermint oil so I tried the apple vinegar method. Using a spray bottle she sprayed part of my back and I could feel a burn (vinegar is acetic acid, a weak acid) so after less than a minute I turned on the water to rinse myself. I waited and it seemed to make it itch less although I was hesitant since it was essentially a chemical/acid burn. However, I started twitching again so we went along with spraying everywhere, waiting a bit, and rinsing it off. I was able to calm down enough to go to lay in bed without feeling the intense burning itch as before. I think regardless of whether you do the peppermint oil, people saying they felt a "cold burn" and opening of pores, hot shower or hair dryer (thermal burn), or the vinegar method each of them helps to remedy the itch by burning the affected area. I hope it won't last as long as people are suggesting and I may try the peppermint oil if it comes back today. I just can't sleep right now because I drank so much water earlier and I still feel a little itchiness, but not to the same degree as before. I definitely feel for you all who have been through this, it sucks and even my SO was skeptical at first that I was in such pain. For the others, I hope you find relief as well.

I am so glad I found this. It's such a relief to know that I'm not alone.

I'm pretty fair-skinned, and just got back from a trip to Cancun. Even with my constant sunscreen applications, I still got burned on my back. Not too bad though. The initial burning sensation was very bearable, especially with aloe vera gel.

But on the eight hour flight home, I began to develop this terrible itch. I couldn't think about anything else. I was doing everything I could to get my mind off of it, but I simply couldn't. It was mostly on my back, so I just kept rubbing back and forth against the seat. Pretty sure the other passengers thought I was on drugs, but I didn't care. At one point a flight attendant became suspicious and asked if I was okay. I explained the situation and asked for Benadryl, but unfortunately they only had aspirin. So I just continued suffering, and drank water to stay hydrated. The second I got out of that confining hell tube I found a convenience store in the Portland airport, and bought a small box of Benadryl for $10, which didn't help much, but was enough to allow me to drive home.

When I got home, I just dumped my luggage on the floor and went to sleep while the Benadryl was still in effect. I woke up in the morning at about 6:00 AM with the itch again. This time it was even worse. I can't even explain it. My family thought I was just being dramatic, stating that they'd experienced sunburn itching before and it wasn't that bad. But I was beginning to go insane.

I spent about 5 minutes on the internet trying to find a solution, and tried everything at once. I took a hot shower. This helped so much, but the second I got out, it began to return. I tried putting my contacts in, but the itching was so horrible that I couldn't stop my hands from shaking, and I eventually gave up. I started dropping peppermint oil on my hands and rubbing it on my back, not thinking to dilute it. It burned, SO bad, and barely helped the itching at all. At this point, I was literally crying, and my family knew that it was different than what they had experienced. I started rubbing moisturizer all over out of desperation, and oddly, it helped. I don't know if it was the peppermint taking awhile to take effect, or if the hot shower did something. But it made it a tiny bit more bearable. I then popped a Benadryl and just leaned over the sink in the bathroom for 15 minutes, waiting for it to return. But it didn't. So I put my shirt back on and just sat down, very carefully.

Now, about two days after the itching began, I still feel it. But it's bearable. I plan on taking a prescription hydroxyzine tablet I found from an old allergic reaction tonight before bed, which is like super benadryl. Hopefully it works, because I have work tomorrow, and there is absolutely no way I'll be able to do anything if this continues.

Anyways, thank you for posting this, even if it was three years ago. I'm glad to be reading these comments and know that I'm not alone. Hopefully more people will stumble upon this to raise awareness and find a cure.

Thanks for your post Cody, I am glad this blog was of some assistance! I have heard many theories about why this happens, and only seems to happen to some. Damaged nerve endings from extreme sunburn, photosensitivity - whether genetic or caused by certain medications, lots of theories with this one bizarre solution. If you are ever unfortunate enough to go through this again please share your experience with us!

Having this happen on a flight has been in my worst nightmare, I've ended up in the ER twice and an thought they were going to have to anesthetize (or euthanize!) me. On a flight any tiny itch or prickle paralyses me with the fear that insanity is about to begin. I, no doubt, would be in a federal prison for disobeying the direct order' of a flight attendant to sit down, or I would be tackled by fellow passengers and placed tie bands while the flight is being redirected to the closest airport Even then i would rip my hands off to get to the itch with the stubs I had left. This site has given me plausible reference to present to the federal magistrate before my sentencing!

I would like to buy you a drink, I was about to start raking my skin with a cheese grater after two kinds of aloe vera, a cool shower, more aloe and a cold compress did nothing. It isn't 100% gone, think I need to get back in after a few but I no longer want to flay my skin off. You ROCK.

Hey, I have suffered from this since I was a kid. It was always very annoying to try to tell people about it and they'd say "rub aloe on it." That's what you do for a sunburn! But it's not a sunburn!!

Interestingly, showers always made it worse for me, but baths were the miracle cure. A very specific kind of bath: I think what actually helps is COMPLETELY SUBMERGING the impacted area in water and holding it in contact with the water for 30 - 60 minutes. You can't have it out of the water for a moment, and it can't be touching the side of the bathtub.

This is especially interesting because the itch seems to be "activated" by contact with water in the first place. It doesn't start until I take a shower. And a casual bath doesn't help. Only total submersion for a period of time makes it better.

I have never tried scalding showers but maybe sometime I will.

I suspect it's mind/body. I think some nerve endings get mangled by the sun, and start sending a different type of signal that the brain isn't used to processing. Then the signal gets interpreted as pain. Of course we know it is REAL pain. I think the constant contact with water or some familiar stimulus helps the brain "recalibrate" and understand the signal coming from that nerve ending. Once it "recalibrates" the pain goes away altogether. Just my crackpot theory.

Anyway, curious for someone else to try submersion and see if it helps. Hope this helps somebody.

My friend had something like this and she ended up scratching it and had to go to the ER, they gave her cortisone shots and it helped, if you aren't able to alleviate it yourself I'd be on my way to the hospital because that shit is unbearable.

This post was me last night, I wish I would have known this, I've been using your post as a PSA for anyone I know, living in Florida sun burns have been common for me, but this, was just...lets just say I would rather have another c section. Its the not knowing what it is and not being able to make it better. I'm glad I saw this post because I'm currently at work with a space heater blowing on my back and its the only thing that is making is possible for me to be working right now.

Oh you poor thing! I am glad you found this post too & I'm so glad it helped you. I was so grateful when I first found this cure but the post I read it on was removed some time ago. Hope you're feeling MUCH better now! x

1.) Do not get your sunburn wet after the first 24 hours of getting it as this will bring on the itch!2.) Use a heating pad on your sunburn to get rid of the itch. It’s wierd I know but it is the only thing that works. Not antihistamines nor pain relievers or lotions, oils or solar Caine spray.I repeat….USE a heating pad!

Hydrocortisone cream 1% ointment mixed with hydrocortisone cream the actual cream and then ocean potion tanning cream has helped immensely and stopped the itching. At night I reapply along with witch hazel and I sleep like a baby. And the hell of itching is gone.

My fiance thinks I'm crazy and cranky atm. This itch is so unbearable. It doesn't hurt at all but it's nothing but a consistent itch that can't be controlled. It started earlier today when I got out of the shower. I had been sunburned pretty bad for two days but didn't have any itching symptoms. I immediately put on aloe and put on my work uniform ( undershirt and dress shirt) and the itching went away for the duration of my work. I come home and take off my uniform and the unbearable itch comes back. It's so unbearable I want to cry, I immediately run to the shower and try to ease the itching. Everything i did made the itching worse. I got out after a hot shower and still continued to itch. I'm currently bundled under two blankets and the itching has resided for now. It's currently 1am so I can't go hunting for peppermint oil. But HEAT does work to alleviate the symptoms. I'm just glad that I found this blog. Now I can go hunting tomorrow.

I know this is a little late, but I'd like to thank you for this blog. I still remember till this day of how much the Peppermint Oil alleviated the itching symptoms just enough to where I eventually started to blister a few days after. I ended up having a bad case of sun poisoning that was so deep into my skin that the symptoms didn't show up for a few days and that it was quite literally in my nerves. Luckily applying the peppermint oil helped me get through this unbearable itch till I got blisters over my skin. And trust me... it was actually refreshing... yes you heard right... After a few days of the peppermint oil treatment I started noticing blisters all over my arms to where liquid would come out even with the slightest touch. I ended up hopping in the shower and scrubbing off as much of the dead skin/blisters as I could. I had 100% immediate relief after I scrubbed the dead skin off and I was thankful to have gotten through the worst of it all. People won't ever understand until they have actually gone through the pain of the Hells Itch. I'm very careful from now on and apply sun screen frequently.

Well, after screaming (quite literally) like a baby all night, and feeling like I was actually going insane, pretty much verbally abusing my husband, a phone call to the Emergency Services and numerous tepid showers and baths, coupled with an all ready high anxiety disorder, I convinced myself I must have had TSS, Meningitis, Septic Shock, or I was actually going to die - I could find no relief from standing, sitting, lying down, walking around, being naked, being clothed, nothing at all worked ! My husband eventually (with GP advice) went out and bought some Calamine lotion, he put a 50/50 (Cal and water) mix in a spray bottle and my god it was heaven, I doubled the dose it said on the box of anti histamine and took 75mg codeine and eventually passed out! Got up this morning thinking, OH MY GOD I CAN MOVE! .... nope! 2 hours later the itch was back, luckily the calamine solution works for about an hour at a time, so this has been my solution all day, then I found this, I have now put my hair dryer on my back and wow, what a relief, it doesn't last long but its heaven when it does, I cant get any peppermint until Monday, and I am praying this hell itch has gone by then, but I will be buying some just in case, Thank you all for all of your suggestions, I will remember them forever!

Is this the Amy Humphries I went to school in Camden with?? Either way thanks for sharing your story :) - it makes me feel so much better that others have experienced what I went through & I'm sure the same can be said for the 000's of others commenting on this post. I'm glad the hairdryer tricked brought you some relief! x

Well the internet has just fucked me over, and I lost the first half of the massive post I just wrote. Here's the condensed version:

Went to Barcelona, got burnt on my back but definitely no worse than normal. It didn't even hurt to shower under hot water, and I was fine sleeping on it. A few days later and I get this slight itch while eating breakfast. The itch worsens to the point where I can't focus on eating and am just rubbing my back against the sofa I'm sitting on. I've had this pain before, when I was about 10 years old, so I'm expecting it to just get 'pretty bad', then fade. I apply aftersun, which helps but only for a few seconds. I end up pacing up and down the living room, sort of slapping a large pillow over my head against my back to 'pat' at the itching. I then decide a cold bath will sooth everything immediately.

(Now here's the second half of my post which I didn't lose...)

So after my bath I dried my back vigorously with a towel.

IT THEN BECAME HELL.

So the next plan was just not disturb the skin at all. I paced back and forth in the living room, tensing up, gripping my fists, making weird gorilla shapes as I walked. I was there for a good 20 minutes, not touching my back at all, just coping with the itches as they came. I felt like I might go insane. It was weird. It's like a pain which isn't a pain because it didn't make me want to cry out or curl up or anything. It was just there, eating away at my sanity!

Anyway, by not touching it, and after a good amount of pacing, it did begin to reduce. I found myself able to stand still for a few seconds at a time before another killer itch would make me start pacing again.

Eventually I was able to sit down and, although still wriggling and twitching, I got online and found this blog. What an interesting read! I couldn't be bothered with trying the hot shower method because the severity of the itching/pain after my bath was too much to risk. I thought I'd just man it out and let it fade (it was fading by now), but there was still an odd wave of severity, so I opted for using a hairdryer. It worked, but only for a few minutes. No antihistamines or hydrocortisone in the house, so I just used the hairdryer method each time the itching came back (every few minutes).

It has now reduced by itself. I keep feeling the odd 'bite', and am still wriggling around quite a bit while I write this, but overall it has definitely reduced to only a fraction of what it was before.

I don't even have anything constructive to add. I just wanted to share my story!

The only thing I'm lucky with is that it only lasted about 2 hours, so I guess the experience I had now is similar enough to the one I had when I was a kid. I was actually surprised (and worried) to see people complaining of it lasting days or weeks. But at its peak I was definitely willing to rate it as one of my most unbearable experiences, so I'm glad to see others have described it in this way too.

I think there must be a few factors causing it. It can't be a simple 'sun allergy', because I've been burned plenty of times and didn't suffer in this way. I suggest it might be connected to external factors such as choice of sun cream (yes I did use sun cream, but not enough), clothes detergent, or even diet. The main solution, however, is definitely just to avoid sunburn altogether...!!!!!

Ok I just tired vigorously itching my back on the sofa behind me and it brought the pain back, but not for long at all. I suppose the solution is to just not touch it.

Sanity is returning!

In a few hours I'm gonna try giving my back a proper serious scratch and see if the whole issue has gone, or if it gets worse. If it does worsen, I'll try to get hold of the allergy creams people have mentioned, and I'l be sure to report back!

I'd like to add that I dried my back 'vigorously' with my towel because I was under the impression that the itching was just dead skin trying to break off and replace itself. So I figured that a good harsh bit of drying would speed up the process. It didn't seem to work! (Or maybe it did., hence me being relatively better now after just a couple of hours..?)

One more update: I wrote about this on another forum and someone who is a trained vet (so knows plenty of doctory stuff) suggested it might be to do with something known as 'mast cells' in the skin which contain histamine (among other things), they're damaged and begin to burst, releasing all their histamine and causing the horrible prickly feeling. This would also clearly explain why antihistamine works as a treatment.

Derma e itch relief saved me. I got it within a couple of hours of this brutal sunburn itch today. Amazing stuff. It has tea tree oil, chamomile and vitamin e - I have no clue which is working the magic...

My 10 year old son Charlie was mildly sunburned on Friday. Slight pink, kept him hydrated & applied lotion. Now it is 48 hours later and he has been writhing in pain all day. I have given him Ibuprofen, benadryl, cool baths, ice packs, soft chilled clothes, and burn relief gels with Lidocaine. He is shivering, miserable, slapping at himself, even running around saying "make it stop.make it stop, make it stop" I have never heard of such a thing as 'Hells Itch'....He is in the hot shower now. Praying it works....poor guy

Ive got it right now. This is the 3rd time ive had it but the other two i was able to fall asleep and not have it when i woke up. This time has been the worst, i have been having the hottest showers possible that my body will let me and it only gives me about 4 mins relive ive had muscle relaxants and also a endone with them. Im very tired but still can get the itch gone. It started last night and ive been away since yesterday morning so over 24hours now and the only thing that has helped me was walking/jogging. Fitness and sweating opens your pores to let them sweat and i found this worked almost straight away. but i was as long as i could with out fainting and got home and it just started right up again. Im about to try lavender oil .

Yesterday i was out fishing and i applied sunscreen but missed the top of my hands so my hands are red raw and sore right now. Im so scared of getting this horrible itch tonight or tomorrow morning, i have had it 2 or 3 other times in my life and it was absolute hell. Mine only lasts probably a couple hours at most and then the itch settles down though so i guess im lucky its not a couple days!

Im going to try and get the peppermint oil so if it comes il hopefully ne prepared :(

You're a life saver. My girlfriend, who is extremely resilient with pain and almost always takes any body aches or pain on the chin with a grunt, was in bed sobbing and shrieking in agony to the extent where tears were running down my own face just holding her unburnt parts and trying to comfort her with any and every thing I had. I tried aloe vera jel at first which offered more stinging than relief, afterwards I tried pressing cold towels which gave relief from the burn but made the stabbing pins and needles worse and more frequent. By this time I was screaming down the phone at the medical assistance line who offered little or no help as I searched through google for "stabbing pain after sun burn" and ended up on this page. After trying to convince her for a few minutes while she utterly refused I finally managed to get her under a shower of warm water and gradually raised the temperature from 36 celcius 40 celcius. She almost instantly stopped crying and it seemed as though she was trying to grasp the reality that the pain was somehow subsiding. Afterwards she fell towards me in complete exhaustion as if she had lost all her energy trying to fight the pain. It took a good 45 minutes in the shower - well sitting in the bath at this point - for her to finally leave the bath and lie down in the cool air conditioned wrapped in a cotton sheet. The stabbing did seem to be less frequent at this point - maybe once every 5 minutes - but it was enough relief for her to lie her head on my lap and fall into a deep painless sleep. I'm just so thankful I found this page when I did because I'm pretty sure if I hadn't she would probably be in A&E at this point or under some sort of anesthetic.

I've had this happen severely twice before and mildly also twice. The last mild incident was over the weekend. I still feel a little bit of the sensation, but thankfully I came across this blog, strapped my 9 month old sun into a baby bjorn, and basically ran to the GNC to get the peppermint oil. Since I've had it before I knew what I was in for. I immediately applied the peppermint oil onto my arms as soon as I left the store. At first (first two minutes), the itching became much worse, but eventually it burned like hell and then it basically "killed" the itch. I still feel a little of it, but it is mostly gone. Thank you so much for posting this.

I am also glad to know that I'm not alone. My family always thought I was absolutely crazy each time it happened. Now I can tell them "see, this hell itch is the real deal." It is absolute torture, but thank God for this blog and peppermint oil!

I just tried this, it relived it for a few minutes then it dtarted to come back slowly but its not that annoying anymore. I was crying for hours and scratching at my arms until I stumbled apon this miracle. Thank you for posting this!!

I currently have the demon fire ant of death itch, and I have had it before. At the moment, it is mild because, for some unknown reason, its intensity fluctuates. I've used the peppermint oil and taken hot showers, and they did not work for me. The peppermint oil is soothing for the sunburn, but does not stop the intense pins and needles sensation.

The hot shower is by far the biggest mistake I have ever made. Today is the first time I tried to take a hot shower to alleviate the pain. Keep in mind my entire back is still sunburnt. I desperately wanted the hell itch to stop, so I struggled through the intense pain of >100*F water pouring over my burnt skin. I spent 20 minutes in the shower and shed many tears, but to no avail. The demon itch was gone for the time it took me to dry.

I am very happy for everyone who successfully defeated this evil scourge, but I don't think these are definite solutions for everyone. The only thing that works, for me, to reduce the pain is singing songs that I make up as I go along as loud as possible. This doesn't completely get rid of the itch, but it helps. The songs are usually about pain and misery and the destruction of all things.

Last, I am just so glad that I found this blog/forum because now my family and friends believe that I am not a complete psychopath. Good luck to everyone and may God have mercy on your souls.

Use vicks vaporub generously. It itches like crazy for about 2 to 4 minutes but it completely takes the itch away. You will have to sleep with the greasy skin all night long with no covers, but this worked really well for me.

Use vicks vaporub generously. It itches like crazy for about 2 to 4 minutes but it completely takes the itch away. You will have to sleep with the greasy skin all night long with no covers, but this worked really well for me.

I found this somewhere and was so desperate I tried it... go get some beta alanine capsules. It's part of what makes y itch and tingle in pre workout but just took a few capsules during hell itch and I feel amazing it's just hot like a burn now zero itch. An hour ago I wanted to go to the ER. Please give this a try if you're enduring this hell

There is no better term for this phenomenon than "Hell's Itch." If you're experiencing the same thing I did, you have little ability to focus on reading, so here is my quick advice:

1. Peppermint oil. This was a lifesaver. It opened my pores and brought soothing relief for long enough that I could get a few hours of sleep.

2. Warm showers. I did not try the "boiling hot" method, but warm showers held the feeling at bay for as long as they lasted and for about ten minutes afterwards.

3. Extra strength Tylenol. Hard to isolate how much this helped because I used the peppermoint oil soon immediately afterwards.

Many thanks to all who have posted their advice. My itch was so bad I could hardly type "severe sunburn from" into Google and was very thankful when Google autocompleted with the word "sunburn." I had to have my wife read the articles because I could not concentrate enough to do so. Your advice saved me. Thanks!

Thank goodness for all of you! I got a wicked sunburn on my upper back and shoulders approximately 48 hours (ish) ago. I was legit rolling on the Berber carpet and scratching trying to pull my skin off. I immediately tried the scorching hot water after all the aloe, creams and first aid spray exasperated the symptoms. My mother-in-law is a nurse and she said it sounded like a type of allergic reaction to sunburn/poisoning. I took a scorching hot shower for 10 mins, 2 Benadryl, 1 application of peppermint oil and 1 additional scolding hot shower after about 1 hour and I'm finally feeling relief. SUNBURN FIRE ANT HELL ITCH is the WORST. Thank you for saving me tonight!

Thank you so much for this, I actually had to leave work and go home to shower and pop benadryl and claritin. The shower was the best relief I've ever felt. Let's hope this holds up. Thank God for this post.

Ok so this is mainly for timing purposes as the on thing i begged for was to know how long i was going to have to deal with this pain. On day two of the burn (surprisingly mild compared to ones i got before) there was a brief 30 minutes where it felt like nothing. No pain no itch like it never happened. Then the devil himself came to claim my back was his! Roughly 1 hour went by were i tried cold shower and mounds of aloe vera gel. Then i tried Benadryl anti itch cream. I yelled at my wife to go get me chloroform or anything to knock me out. 20 minutes after putting that cream on and it may just be the time not necessarily the cream but it died down. I wasn't clenching the bed biting the sheets begging for death anymore. 2 hours since the start of this worlds worse itch and i was able to pop two Benadryl sleeping pills with the two Alieve i think i already had in me and was able to pass out. Woke up at 2 am with a milder version of the itch. Enough to prevent sleep. Put 100% peppermint oil on it. Kind of wish i hadn't. It made my back FREEZING cold and the pain was clearly still there but the itchy feeling was subdued at least to where i could sleep another 3 hours. Then i saw i had started peeling. So i worked the nerve up to take a shower and slowly turn the temperature up to hot as i could stand it. So nerve racking to do something so counter intuitive. Best shower of my life!!! Heavenly pure heavenly. Then the peeling itch was a freaking laughing matter after that. Hope this helps some of you see there is a light at the end of the tunnel and for me at least the worst of it was a two hour hell whole.

I've had the Hell's Itch since I was little. It took years for me to ask a Dr about it and he gave me steroids. They worked! This time I got a sunburn and shortly after got a prescription for steroids. They haven't helped at all! Wearing a shirt and moving around usually helps too but not this time. It seems to make it worse. The ONLY thing that has helped me is a shower. The jets mildly "scratch" it and make it better. I spent the entire day in the shower yesterday and I may have to get back in the shower today. THANK GOD I work from home now!

I found this is an informative interesting post so i think so it is very useful and knowledgeable. I would like to thank you for the efforts you have made in writing this article.pest control san antonio

I am currently sitting with sunburn itch or as well commonly described "hells itch", it's everywhere I stupidly, like all sufferers, sat out in the sun without lotion. Oh, how I wish I had a time machine, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ITCH, it's one deceitful mother fucker and will only make the pain 10 times worse. I am not going to try to cure it, I will bravely go where no man has gone before and endure the pain, I will suffer this pain to time exactly how long this it lasts. Side note: I THINK I AM GOING TO KILL MYSELF. Currently at 15 hours, yes I know fucking retard, rolling on the floor reading comments and sucking my thumb like a baby in pain, oh god please don't cure me, there's nothing left for me now, just fucking take me to hell or heaven because burning for infinity is better than this shit. Why invent this you utter c word.

Well for me, I'm 14 turning 15 next month and the hot shower was amazing, not amazing enough to sleep but that's just because I can't stay in the hot water for more than 3 seconds, but even though I can't exactly sleep I can still function and reading some of the post in this blog hasite made me laugh, right now it still itches but nowhere near as bad as earlier, a day when I tried a cold shower it made it absolutley unbearable, it's 6 am now and this started about 6 hours ago, I see my day consisting of using up all the hot water and maybe having some tea, thank god I found this blog.

I've been through this late night, and as a 16 year old kid I have no hesitation when saying this is the worst thing I've ever gone through. Not much will make me give into tears while screaming in agony, but this will. Whilst going through this, suicide will actually cross your mind. Thankfully it eventually stops if you stop itching it. ITCHING ONLY MAKES IT WORSE.

My itching started last night very mild and I didn't think of it to be as bad as I have it now. I started balling my eyes out in the shower the next day after stupidly scratching my chest. I turned on cold water and tried rotating like a sausage to evenly get my body cold but nope it only made it worse I went to the hospital to seek help and got some medicine to help the pain slightly but now at 2am I found this blog and saw that HEAT is something that helps so I went on the hunt for the magic bags! I found one magic bag and my homemade rice bag thing heating them up in the microwave then applying them to the itchy spots which is heavenly.

This website literally saved my life, I've never experienced itching like through sun burn. Thank the lord it only lasted one day but what a day it was, I found that although hot showers calmed them down it only worked for 15-20minutes. The ONLY thing that worked was peppermint oil, thank you to whichever saint posted that advice, it will be the first thing I will be packing on my next holiday. By the way aloe vera doesn't work and I'm convinced this is some sort of allergic reaction as I've had bad burnings like this before I developed hay fever so an antihistamine may work too. Good luck and hang in there.

I had never heard of hell itch and I'm so glad I found what it was! Because one moment I was sitting down having breakfast and the next I was pacing around my room naked slapping myself and swearing. The only thing that gave me relief was a cream that makes your skin reallly hot and burny like the hot shower method does the one I used was called 'finalgon' and it was just from my local chemist. The relief lasted for a good 6 hours and then by that time it wasn't as bad I would just keep applying it every 6 hrs or when u feel it coming back.